MAGMA - MEKANIK DESTRUKTIW KOMMANDOH

MAGMA - MEKANIK DESTRUKTIW KOMMANDOH

Disk 1
1) Hortz Fur Dehn Stekehn West . . 9:34
2) Ima suri Dondai . . . . . . . 4:28
3) Kobaia is de Hundin . . . . 3:35
4) Da Zeuhl wortz Mekanik . . 7:48
5) Nebehr Gudahtt . . . . 6:00
6) Mekanik Kommandoh . . . 4:08
7) Kreuhn Kohrmahn Iss de Hundin . . . 3:14
Bonus Track on Seventh Rex CD
8. M.D.K. - Alternate Version . . . 34:35

Magma's official website at:
http://www.seventhrecords.com/

Line-up
- Christian Vander: drums, vocals, organ, percussion
- Jannik Top: bass
- Klaus Blasquiz: vocals, percussion
- Jean-Luc Manderlier: piano, organ
- René Garber: bass clarinet, vocals
- Claude Olmos: guitar
- Stella Vander: choir organik Kommandeuhr
- Muriel Streisfeld, Evelyn Razymovski, Michele Saulnier, Doris Reihnardt, Stella Vander: choir
- Teddy Lasry: brass organik Kommandeuhr, flute

format: Vinyl LP • Single CD #CD REX VII
release date: 1973 (on vinyl format) • 1989 (on CD)

There is no gray area with Magma, you will either love it or hate it, simple as that! The group Magma, originating from France and led by the charismatic madman Christian Vander, is the best representative of this sub-genre of progressive music referred as "Zeuhl". Zeuhl was a term coined by Vander himself, and describes a mixture of military-like marching music, opera, classical, fusion, heavy rock, freeform jazz. Music that is oppressive, aggressive, dramatic, grandiose, with incessant, repetitive rhythms. On a scale of 10 for sheer originality, Vander gets an 11! All his albums are based on a SF theme about a mythical planet called Kobaïa, he actually created a language called Kobaian, weird and guttural with strong germanic overtones, and sings in this language, that is, when he's not screaming at the top of his lungs, or screeching like a demented banshee, and he's the drummer of the band! The element that will attract fans to this style, though, is the intense emotion it carries, along with the grandiose operatic vocal acrobatics and complex harmonies.

Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh is probably the most impressive and memorable Magma album. It's best known incarnation was released in 1973 and it is one long composition divided into seven tracks and is performed by a group of about twelve people! It begins with an incessant rhythm, punctuated by strange electronic sounds and sinister, aggressive kobaian chants, some sort of transe! This epic has numerous tempo changes, outrageous time signatures, majestic brass and a glorious female choir (that is often compared stylistically to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana). Add to this the hypnotic rhythms, the mesmerizing guitar work of Claude Olmos, the distorted, combative bass work of the amazing Jannik Top and the stunning synchronism of all the musicians and you're in for some of the most captivating, out-of-the-ordinary music you'll ever hear. Even 33 years after it was made, MDK is still revolutionary stuff. MDK ends with a spine tingling, high speed, chorus, in a mind-boggling crescendo, followed by a literally deafening, high-pitched tone that has you running to the volume button! Talk about something wild! On the CD version, you'll also find an alternate version of MDK that doesn't have any vocals, for those who'd like to sing over a karaoke version!

It is a style of music that simply defies description and classification! You have to hear it to believe it. I was privileged enough to see Magma at NEARFest 2003, and they performed MDK as well as KA (Kohntarkösz Anteria), many walked out in the middle of their show, but those who stayed were simply blown away by the grandeur of the performance, impressed also by the sweat-drenched Christian Vander, almost looking like he's about to either have a heart-attack or literally explode in a million pieces! He's not only giving everything out vocally, he's also a very powerful, intense drummer! For those who want to venture into the wonderful, mad world of Zeuhl, I recommend MDK, because it carries so much intensity and emotion, and many agree that it is the best Magma album. As I said in the beginning, you'll either love it or hate it, nothing in the middle!

my rating for MEKANIK DESTRUKTIW KOMMANDOH : 9.5/10(album reviewed by Robert Dansereau)